Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963, a traveling exhibition opening at the Moline Public Library on Monday, March 24th, examines the relationship between two great people's movements that resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the March on Washington in 1963. Both grew out of decades of bold actions, resistance, organization, and vision. One hundred years separate them, yet they are linked in a larger story of liberty and the American experience - one that has had a profound impact on the generations that followed.
"We are pleased to have been selected as a site for this exhibition," said library Director, Lee Ann Fisher. "The dramatic story of how these two pivotal events came into being, a century apart, and how each helped put the nation on a course toward fulfilling its commitment to liberty and justice for all, is one that can inspire all Americans. Decades of work, struggle and sacrifice by many dedicated individuals and groups preceded both of these events. The exhibition tells the story of these struggles and their impact on American history and on the extension of equal rights to all Americans."
The exhibition will travel to 50 venues across the nation, accompanied by public programming that will help audiences understand and discuss the relationship between these two great people's movements.
The Moline Public Library is sponsoring free programs and other public events in connection with the exhibition. Changing America will be on display at the library until April 30th
The exhibit is presented as part of the six-week series with Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle which explores our nation's civil rights history through film, discussion, and presentations. More information about Created Equal and Changing America can be found online at molinelibrary.com/createdequal
Changing America is presented by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.
Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle is made possible through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Local support for Created Equal and Changing America has been provided by Friends of the Moline Public Library, WQPT, and The Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus/QCOnline.
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